A Yaba Chief Magistrate Court has directed Femi Falana Chambers to begin the process for the exhumation and autopsy of 10 victims of the Afriland Towers fire incident, which occurred on September 16, in Lagos.
Presiding magistrate Atinuke Adetunji gave the order on Tuesday after the court was informed that some of the victims had already been buried.
“The petitioner should write to the Lagos State Government for the exhumation of the dead victims and carry out an autopsy,” magistrate Adetunji ruled.
The directive followed a petition dated September 29, from Femi Falana Chambers to the chief coroner of Lagos State, Justice Mojisola Dada, requesting a coroner’s inquest to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths and ensure accountability.
During the preliminary sitting, Adetunji instructed all parties to file the necessary applications before the next hearing.
The court also summoned several organisations, including the United Bank for Africa (UBA), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Fire Service, Afriland Towers, United Capital, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and the Lagos State Safety Commission.
The magistrate directed the petitioner to engage with the families of the deceased to identify those willing to allow exhumation for autopsy.
She also called for eyewitnesses to come forward and provide testimony about the incident.
Yahaya Atata, representing Femi Falana Chambers, told the court that the session was intended to bring all stakeholders together and establish procedures for the inquest.
However, Adetunji noted that the legal representatives were not fully prepared and said the inquest could only proceed after all necessary documents and applications had been filed.
A lawyer, A. O. Mema, representing one of the deceased, informed the court that his client, Peter Ifaranmaye, a manager at the FIRS, had already been buried.
In response, Adetunji said an autopsy remained necessary.
“Autopsy is fundamental. We cannot just hold an inquest; there must be an autopsy to know exactly what happened,” she stated.
The case was adjourned to November 26, for further proceedings.
The fire incident occurred at Afriland Towers, a commercial complex on Broad Street, Lagos Island, resulting in the deaths of 10 people and injuries to several others.
According to earlier reports, the blaze started in the building’s inverter room, producing thick smoke that trapped occupants.
The victims included four officials of the Federal Inland Revenue Service and six employees of United Capital.
Following a petition by human rights lawyer Femi Falana, the Lagos State Judiciary appointed a coroner to investigate the deaths in line with Section 15 of the Lagos State Coroner’s Law, 2007, which provides for inquiries into deaths occurring under violent or suspicious circumstances.
